John Barkett is the Senior Director of Policy Affairs for Willis Towers Watson Exchange Solutions. He previously worked for Extend Health, the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange, before it was acquired by Towers Watson in 2012. John is responsible for strategy and development as it pertains to both federal and state health policy, as well as the product development and marketing of Willis Towers Watson’s various exchange solutions.
Before joining Extend Health, John spent two and a half years in Washington, D.C., where he contributed to the writing, passage, and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. John served on the health subcommittee staff of the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives in 2009 where he drafted and negotiated the final details of legislation aimed at reducing fraud in the Medicare program. After the bill’s passage, John joined the staff of the Office of Health Reform in the Department of Health and Human Services, where he helped guide the implementation of all sections of the Affordable Care Act related to delivery system reform.
Previously, John worked for athenahealth, Inc., a revenue-cycle management and electronic medical record company, and Medica HealthCare Plans, Inc., a Medicare Advantage plan.
John earned an MBA in healthcare management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he won the Robert D. Eilers Award for healthcare innovation and service to the community. He graduated cum laude from Harvard College, with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a secondary field in healthcare policy.
Contact John at:
Director of Policy Affairs, Exchange Solutions
Willis Towers Watson
415.264.2516
[email protected]